The National Dialogue, which kicked off on 3 May, will start holding sessions on 14 May.
Four sessions will be held every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Sunday meetings will be for the political subcommittees, Tuesday meetings for the economic subcommittees and Thursday meetings for social subcommittees. The dialogue’s General Coordinator Diaa Rashwan has said all meetings will be open to the media.
Each subcommittee meeting will be chaired by a rapporteur and an assistant rapporteur and attended by 30 participants.
“We cannot say for how many weeks the sessions will continue, but they will last at least two months,” said Mahmoud Fawzi, secretary-general of the dialogue.
The 3 May opening session was attended by more than 2,000 participants from different ideological backgrounds.
“It was really a promising start. Hundreds of figures are interested in attending sessions which are being held at Cairo’s International Convention Centre,” said Fawzi.
The dialogue’s opening session, attended by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, ministers, ambassadors, chairmen of political parties, MPs and Senators, trade union and civil society leaders, and journalists, began with a recorded speech from President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi.
“I stress my support for the National Dialogue and vow that all means will be made available to ensure its success and implement its recommendations within a framework of democracy and effective political practice,” said Al-Sisi.
The dialogue, he continued, is a forum in which views that serve the interests of the nation can be exchanged so a new democratic republic can be built. He called on participants to find common ground in order to overcome the challenges facing Egypt.
“I look forward to a comprehensive, effective, and vital dialogue that embraces all viewpoints and achieves tangible and successful outcomes,” said the president.
“Differences in opinion should not divide us, and that it is diverse viewpoints that can lead to successful outcomes.”
The president said he was looking forward to participating in the final stages of the dialogue to exchange views and turn recommendations into reality on the ground.
Rashwan said participants were agreed that three issues — amending the constitution, Egypt’s foreign policy and national security — should not feature on the dialogue agenda. “We fully support Egypt’s current foreign policies and the Armed Forces’ role in preserving national security,” he said.
Speaking before the opening session, Rashwan pointed out that “none of those who accepted President Al-Sisi’s invitation to the National Dialogue have argued that Egypt’s 2014 constitution be amended”.
“Political forces just asked for guarantees that the dialogue’s recommendations will be implemented.”
Groups that reject Egypt’s 2014 constitution, and those that have resorted to violence to impose their agendas, will not be participating. “Otherwise,” said Rashwan, “we do not have any red lines.”
“The dialogue represents the voice of the people and will be used as a medium to put forward the people’s demands before the concerned authorities and the president.”
“The National Dialogue firmly believes in the current constitution, the spirit of which calls for turning Egypt into a civilian democratic state that guarantees and protects citizens’ freedom of speech and private lives,” said dialogue consultant Hossam Badrawi.
He argued that “the presidential system prescribed by the 2014 constitution is the best one for Egypt at present.”
“It gives the president a lot of power, which is not bad, but we should make sure that the system does not lead to the creation of an autocracy.”
One guarantee against such a scenario, said Badrawi, is that the president should not remain in power for more than 12 years. Though he argued that Egypt requires a strong leader, that leader must not turn the country into a dictatorship, and allow for the peaceful rotation of power.
Badrawi argued that parliamentary systems do not suit countries with high poverty and illiteracy rates because extremist religious groups can use such factors to manipulate lections. He also stressed that under the presidential system, the role of the Armed Forces and police should be confined to preserving national security.
Amr Moussa, who chaired the 50-member committee that drafted the 2014 constitution, said the current constitution includes several positive points that can be capitalised on, including the separation of religion from politics. He noted that President Al-Sisi had fully respected the constitution by calling for a reform of religious discourse and forbidding religion from being exploited for political ends.
He also argued that the National Dialogue’s final recommendations referred to parliament for discussion before being sent to the president.
Opposition leader and former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi apologised for not attending the opening session because of the sudden death of his sister. Rashwan delivered a speech on Sabahi’s behalf.
On Friday, the Civil Movement — a bloc including 12 opposition groups — said that though the dialogue’s opening session was positive, the success of the entire process will depend on government critics not facing any form of intimidation.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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